The Pune half marathon created news for the usual reasons and for another inspiring reason: a man with just one leg managed to complete it! He was understandably elated with his performance and then proceeded to give another performance which people enjoyed and found inspiring!
Yes he completed a 10 km run with just one leg! He was understandably elated and proceeded to regale the people around with an energetic dance to the hit song Zingat from the Marathi film Sairat.
The fact that this man not only did the 10k stretch but then had energy and verve left over for this dance, points to an indomitable spirit; something that many found inspiring.
What also impressed people is the fact that the man dances better than most people with twice the number of legs he has!
This is a man without legs but has immense talent. He has featured on various reality TV shows such as India’s Got Talent and Nach Baliye and he has also started his own dance academy for other differently abled people like him.
He was born without arms and legs, but what he lacked in the limbs department he more than made up in the spirit department! It was thought that he would never walk. He proved them wrong. He not only walks, he swims, travels and helps inspire others.
Sudha Chandran, the film and television actress and a Bharatanatyam dancer is one of the best known celebrities to overcome her disability. In June 1981, she lost a leg due to gangrene following a road accident but did not let his hamper her dreams and goals. In this video it is difficult to make out that she has one prosthetic leg.
This disability activist passed away at age 30 some years ago, but she made it a point to clarify; it isn’t disability that makes one exceptional or inspirational. A rare condition called osteogenesis imperfect put her in a wheel chair but it did not stop her from teaching us some useful life lessons using her own brand of caustic humour.
Stephen Hawking lived his life with debilitating and slowly progressing ALS but his is a story that inspires with or without the disability backstory. These stories serve to remind us how courage and determination; and not what we call a ‘normal’ body are prerequisites for achieving goals and making dreams come true.
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